Steven Kwan is welcoming his new position in the Cleveland Guardians' lineup.
The Cleveland Guardians’ lineup looked notably different on Saturday evening. For the first time since the beginning of the 2022 season, Steven Kwan was not at the top of the lineup as the team’s leadoff hitter.
Instead, the historically strong contact hitter and on-base machine was batting sixth in Cleveland’s lineup as Stephen Vogt looked to take some pressure off the 28-year-old amid a disastrous start to the season.
Cleveland’s skipper shared his side of the decision and noted that all Kwan wants to do is help the team win anyway that he can, even if that means moving out of a spot that he’s been accustomed to for essentially his entire career.
What about Kwan’s reaction to all of this? The former All-Star is very supportive of the move, has welcomed it, and believes it may be a little long overdue.
“I don’t want to hurt the team in any way, and I did feel like with a lot of disappointing starts I was hurting the team,” Kwan said.
“I think Vogter was just respecting me and wanting to keep things the same, but I think it’s kind of been a couple weeks coming. I actually have no problem with it.”
May 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) takes a lead off first base in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn ImagesKwan welcomes this move, and supporting it shows that he values winning above all else. Has a .204/.316/.259 slash line 43 games into the season.
One of the key reasons why Kwan is likely open to this change is that, even he, isn’t exactly sure what his issue is at the plate.
“It’s probably mechanical, still working through that. If I knew the answer, I probably wouldn’t be in this spot,” explained Kwan.
Every hitter goes through rough spells at the plate, but for Kwan, it’s definitely time for him to work through those issues in less leverage opportunities, and even he realizes that.
The hope is that with Kwan hitting further back in the lineup, he can focus on driving in the runners ahead of him and not take on all the pressure that comes with setting the tone at the top of the order. It seems the left-handed hitter is more than alright with this new role.
Hopefully, with Kwan hitting further back in the lineup, he can get back to being the All-Star caliber hitter he’s been the last two seasons.
Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.